Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-08-17
Seventy-fve or More Killed
and at Least One Hundred
and Fifteen Injured.
An Excursion Train Sinks with a
Burning Bridge Near Chats
worth, III.
Fire and Pitiless Rain Add Hor-
ror to the Disaster-Dead
Bodies Robbed.
Many Peorians Meet Death in the Dis
aster-Suicide to Escape Pain
Stories of the Survivors.

Stories of the Survivors.
Especial disdatch from Forest, I'LL
One Of the most horrible accidents within the
memory Of man occurred three miles east of
Chatsworth, on the Toledo, Peoria and Western
Railroad, late Wednesday night. An excursion
train Of sixteen cars from Peoria went through
q culvert and upward OF 25) persons were killed
and injured. So far as learned, seventy three
persons were instantly killed and about ono
hundred and sixty more or less seriously in
jured.
The train consisted Of engines 2l and l3, a
baggage car, a special car, five coaches. and
six sleepers Two and a half miles east of
Chatsworth, small village about seven miles
east OF Forest, there is small culvert or
ditch. 1t is about fourteen feet wide and thir
teen feet deep. The bridge over this culyert
was wretched structure Of wood, and the
hot weather Of past weeks had made it dry
as tinder. Wednesday night the supports
caught fire and slowly burned until the
entire bridge rested on the charred REM
nants of the tmbers. When the train came
laundering down there was nothing to warn the
head engineer that the bridge was death trap
and the speed of the train not slackened.
1t had steamed slowly out Of Chatsworth at
ii 40 o'clock but striking gentle down grade
the throttle was pulled out and the train rushed
along at a rate OF forty miles an hour
HURLED INTO THE CHAsM.
When the first engine struck the bridge there
was cracking of timbers, aud the engine
dropped. The leading engine was not thrown
from the track, and continued on its way, TAX
ing its tender with il. The next engine dropped
into the chasm and then the train rushed on
ward and was piled in heap, with the excep-
tion OF the sleepers, which escaped without a
scratch.
The scene of horror and confusion that fol-
lowed was frightful. There about seven
hundred people on the train, and of these fully
one-h half were in the coaches that now lay in a
huge mass. Ten cars filled with dead and dy-
ing people were lammed into u space of two
cars length.
HORRIBLY CRUSHED AND MANGIED
The six coaches were telescoped in the most
horrible manner, and the occupants were sim
ply crushed and maugled almost ont Of all
semblance to human beings. Thirty nine la
dies were taken out from the end OF one Of the
cars. When the crash came they were swept
of their seats by tho rear car bursting in on
them and crushed to death in the further end
Of the car.
As soon as the survivors recovered from the
awful shock train hand ran back to Chats
worth for help. The news Of the awful disas-
ter spread quickly and in a short time hum
dreds of people from Forest, Chatsworth, Piper
City, Gilman, and the surrounding country
were on the spot assisting in the work of res
cue The remnants of the bridge, which was
still burning, received the first attention.
Water was brought from farmers houses near
by and the flames extinsulshed. None CT the
car caught fire. otherwise the horrors of a
holocaust would have been n'added to an.alre adv
frightful disaster. Attention was then turned
to the shrieking inmates Of the wrecked cars.
Such WAS the awful momentum of the train
that three of the coaches were not only tele-
scoped, but piled on top of each other. The
other cars had rolled off the track after tele-
scoping. Fourteen trucks were piled on the
east side of the culvert. In the midst OF this
awful mass of broken cars hundreds of human
beings were intombed. One woman with her
of the car and killed. The baby was
not injured Four eolored women sit
ting together We're crushed to pulp.
| well escaped with few injuries about
the body.
man named Goodall, a butcher from Peoria,
was caught between two cars and his lower
limbs crushed
For Gods sake save me-" he cried to the
rescuers. IN give 500 to any one who will
| pull me out OF here
But it was impossible. His body could not
have been got out without chopping 1t out, and
the poor fellow died n few minutes later His
son is thought to have been killed.
sHRlEKING OUT OF THE DARKNESS.
| As fast possible the work of release was
prosecuted, but about 2:30 o'clock it began t.
rain, and the horror of the night was complete.
| The black darkness, which was family illum-
ined by lanterns and pierced by the awful
yells and groans OF the dying injured, and i'm
| prisoned, was now joined by the elements and
| the pouring rain, lightning, and the roai
| of thunder made scene that would ap.
pail the bravest heart. One young man who
| was taken out with both legs broken was
| carried into a cornfield near by and laid
| down. He yelled with pain for a time, but MI
hour later it was found that he had killed him
self by blowing his brains out. The terrible
| excitement and pain had probably driven hin
crazy.
As fast as the victims were rescued they
| were placed side by side in the cornteld north
| of the track. BY daylight sxty-f,e bodief
were lying side by side, silent monuments tt
| what seems to have been railroad company't
| careiessness. The majority of the dead are
| Peoria people. The train contained IT'S people
from Peoria city and county, and of this mum
| ber at least forty-one were killed.
| STORIES OF SURVIVORS.
| Mr. j. NJ. Tonnery, Of Peoria, was in the first
sleeper, and said Il felt three distinct shock,
and then heard grinding sound. and on look
| ing out saw that the car in which were wal
| directly over the fire. which was slowly bla2in.
on the stringers of the bridge. got out il
safety, and the scene presented to the eye ant
! ear was one wish could forever etface from
my memory, but l know l never can Th,
shreks of the dying and the glaring faces o
the dead will always stay with me. To add Il
light of the fire under the sleeper
which lighted the faces of those about only t,
make their fear and anguish visible. On tn
mouths Of most of the corpscs could be seei
foam, which showed that they died in agony
| At last we secured some feeble lights, but til
wind blew them out, and about O'Clock the rail-
poured down in torrents on the unprotected
dead and dying in the hodges and cornfelds ad
jaoent Our efforts were divided betweel
trying to put out tho fire and rescuing til
dying whose cries for help were heartrendine
indeed Mothers ran wildly about cry
ing for lost children and wives for hus
bands. strong men were weeping over til
forms OF their beloved wives. Prayers, en-
treaties. and groans filed the air until daylight
when relief parties got to work and remove
the dead and wounded from the scene. Tn
bridge was on fire before the train struck"
C. Falroth, who was one of the fortunate one
occupying berth in next to the last sleeper
says that TO put out the fire water was to b
had All went to work with will with such tool
rs could be found on the cars to further de
stroy and tear away all the woodwork poi
sibie and with dirt, weeds, dry grass, coats
as a weapon against the fierce flames After
terrible struggle the fire was put out.
Mr.. Falyorth, on passing one Of the coaches
babe, which he Immediately did, and, leay
ing it in as safe place could be found
went into the car and found the mothel
Mrs. Neal, of Mossville. just dead
yond description. One young child wa
found fastened near the roof OF the car hea
feen thrown, and was dead when taken dowI
Others were found in all conceivable shapes
all were thrown off their seats and piled in tn
ends Of the aisles Of the cars. bleeding fror
gashes in the face. arms or other portions {
the body. 1t was, Mr.. Falvor.h says. tho mos
sickening sight he ever Witnessed
| William Ellis, one Of the badly injured say
he was thrown four or Ave seats forward an
stunned, and when he recovered himself b
found others lying upon him. His watch wa
the opinion that the bridge was set on FIRE b
| loungers around there whose motive It was
plunder the dead us he saw some of these SUI
| picious looking fellows taking rings from fir
gers and money and valuables from the pocket
| Of others not able to resist.
H.W. White, OF the Peoria Journal, gives tn
Tpwns 4 was in na't the second sleeper and we wer
| going along about midnight when there cam
q peculiar jostling. thought that we ha
| been derailsd. Our porter said, We ere a.
right when some one said, There is q fir
ahead / got up and went to the front Tn
head engine had rushed over the chasm III
teiescoped and the engineer was a shareies
mass The first car WAS turned at rivht angle
with the track, and the remaining eleven car
had teiescoped and piled up In one heap.
aSeyeral Of us climbed on the cars v ith axe
and lanterns and went to work. The frat ma
we found was Billy Stevens. the confectione
He was dead. Wo pulled him out after som